31 Toronto hospital staff fired for benefits claim ‘irregularities’

Sara Tatelman | February 16, 2017

Thirty-one employees at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto have been fired in relation to “irregularities in some employee health benefit claims,” spokesperson Leslie Shepherd confirmed in an email to Benefits Canada.

The irregularities were discovered during a routine audit, and approximately $200,000 worth of claims were found to be in breach of the hospital’s code of conduct.

“The hospital takes its role as custodian of the public trust very seriously,” the emailed statement continued. “St. Michael’s has a strict policy for its health benefits plan. We are continuing to work with Sun Life, our benefits administrator, to ensure a thorough investigation. To maintain the integrity of that review, we won’t be releasing any further details at this time.”

Sun Life’s internal fraud risk management team helps detect potential fraudulent activity, spokesperson Yasna Criscione told Benefits Canada in an email. “Sun Life Financial is working closely with St. Michael’s Hospital to provide our full support in dealing with this issue,” she added.

The incident comes the same week that Salwa Husseini, an officer from the York Regional Police Service, was fired for benefits fraud.